Brothers
by Trekkiehood
Summary: A fight at the Lodging House goes too far. Through it, Race finds out something he didn't know about their fearless leader. Maybe Jack isn't as well put together as everyone thought. (Takes place after "Return from the Refuge" but can be read on its own.)


_Summary: A fight at the Lodging House goes too far. Through it, Race finds out something he didn't know about their fearless leader. Maybe Jack isn't as well put together as everyone thought._

**Hey guys! I haven't posted anything in three weeks... and I'm way behind on "Love Doesn't Discriminate"... but sometimes you've just got to write what you write so that you can write what you need to write. Does that make sense?**

**Anyway... here's another Newsies one shot! It follows my last one "Return from the Refuge" but you don't have to have read it to read this one. I actually have an entire series planned out for this, so we shall just see how far we get with it!**

**Oh... and if I overdo the accents, please tell me... And enjoy the story!**

**Warnings: Underage drinking (don't support drinking anyway), mention of child neglect/abuse**

~TH~

Race was angry. No, he was beyond angry. Jack always acted so high and mighty. Like he was better than everyone else. Racetrack was sick of it!"You steal all the time! You did jus' last week!"

Jack threw his hands in the air. "I stole food! Its been rough the last few weeks and we need food if we want ta survive this winter!"

"And I stole clothes! Both is necessary! You want the kids freezin'? Why's it okay when yous do it, but such a big deal when it's me!"

"Food," Jack shouted, "food can be eatin'. Food disappears afta ya eat it. It's hard ta trace. Clothes is a whole notha' matta'! They'll notice the clothes is missin' and what if they see someone wherein it, huh? What if one of the littles is caught wearin' a stolen coat? What if they drag 'em off to the Refuge? You want that on your conscious?"

"Ya see that's the difference 'tween you and me, Jack." He leaned into the older Newsie's face. "You get caught, and I ain't stupid enough to get myself hauled off to the Refuge. " Jack's took a step back, his face paling slightly.

Race knew he should stop. He was angry. Too angry to keep from saying something he'd regret. They both needed to take a break and calm down.

But he couldn't his mouth just kept going before he could even stop himself. "Why don't I just call the Spida' 'imself? You seem to got a knack for being caught by 'im, so why don't I just save 'im the trouble? Maybe he could finally get through your thick skull!"

As soon as the words were out he regretted them. There was a brief gasp, then the room went completely silent. No one seemed to even move.

They all knew Jack had been through a lot. He handled it pretty well considering. But Snyder, the Refuge, it was the one thing that woke him up screaming. The one thing they knew would set Jack off. The one topic that made their fearless leader squirm. There had always been an invisible line between safe conversation and waking nightmares. Racer had just crossed that line.

Race felt himself go white. "Jack, I-" he took a step towards his friend, but the older boy jerked backwards.

"Stay away from 'im!" Crutchie suddenly shoved Race in the opposite direction. The bou couldn't make himself do anything as he slammed against a bunk.

"Hey, Jack," the young boy with the crutch reached out his hand, " it's me, Crutchie. You know I ain't gonna hurt ya. Ain't nobody gonna hurt ya. Yur with us, yur brothas. At the Lodging House. We won't let no one hurt ya." He finished with a harsh glare to Racetrack.

The stillness in the room was uncommon for the boys, but no one could bring themselves to move or even whisper. Jack was the leader and everyone knew that Race was next in line, so when they fought everyone seemed to gather around to see what would happen. No one had expected it to go this far, but they couldn't bring themselves to pull away.

Crutchie took a step forward only for Jack to violently flinch back. The younger boy froze. "Jack, I promise. You ain't goin' back there. I won't let 'em take ya. Yous is fine."

Jacks breathing had become uneven. His eyes had taken on a wild look that only a few of the boys had seen before. Those who knew him best could tell he was trying to keep it under control. He wasn't succeeding very well.

Race stood from where he was leaning against the bunk. He held his hands out in a peace-offering manner. "Jack, I swear I didn't mean it. Sometimes my mouth works fasta' than my brain. I would neva do that. Ta you or no one."

Jack's eyes flickered over to the speaker, then back to Crutchie. His hands were shaking. Race wanted nothing more than to fix everything. To make it stop, but he couldn't. He started it and now it was just going to spiral.

He barely took a step forward before Jack started frantically shaking his head and backing up.

Racer stopped, but the damage had already been done. Jack kept backing up until his back hit the wall. The room watched as his hands slipped behind him, lifting the window. Then he was gone.

As soon as he was out of sight, Crutchie spun on Racetrack. "What was that Higgins?!"

Race's jaw dropped. He'd never seen the younger boy so mad. And never mad enough to call him by his last name.

"I-I didn't mean nothing by it! I was just... I didn't mean..." He took a step back.

Crutchie shook his head. "You was, what? Angry? That's yur excuse? 'Cause Jack's been angry with ya lots of times, but he ain't never once threatened to send you back ta yur Pa!"

Race flinched at that. "He wouldn't... He knows about-"

"Yeah! And you know 'bout 'im!" He leaned in, his voice low so only the two of them could hear. "You's the only otha one he talks to 'bout it. And ya threw it in 'is face."

Racer took a step back. "Cr-Crutchie, I didn't-"

"You gotta go find 'im." He didn't sound angry anymore, he sounded scared. The younger boy reached up and grabbed at Race's shirt, almost desperately. "You can't leave 'im out there. Not when 'is mind is where it's at. Please Race!"

Racetrack wasn't sure where the sudden mood change came from, but it was scaring him. "Crutch, I don't, I don't think he wants to see me right now-"

"But you gotta! Yous gotta make sure 'es okay!"

"Okay, okay," he pushed the boy's hands away. "I'll go look. But if I come back with a black eye, I'm blamin' you." It was said with an air of sarcasm, but the mood didn't lighten.

Racetrack followed his friend's path through the window.

~N~

He couldn't find him. He checked all of Jack's normal getaways and couldn't find him. He wasn't at Jacobi's, or Medda's, or Newsies Square. Racer was about to head towards Brooklyn to see if Spot had seen him.

There was one last place to check. An alleyway, if you could call it that. It was a small opening between buildings. Barely enough room for two people to walk side-by-side. It was the place Jack had lived before joining the Newsies, his first 'home' on the streets. He had been there once, when Jack had needed a break from all his responsibilities, at least that's what Jack claimed. Race could have sworn the Manhattan leader had been on the verge of a mental breakdown. Racetrack had followed him and Jack had briefly explained the importance of the alley.

And Jack was here again, now. He was sitting with his back against the wall, his knees drawn up to his chest and...

"Since when do you drink?"

Jack jerked, his eyes finding Racer in the dark before turning back to stare at the opposite wall. "Since when do you care?"

"Ya could get inta a lot of trouble if ya get caught." He casually came closer, still keeping a good distance from his friend.

The older boy laughed, "Good. Snyda's already got a pretty good price on me. Bring me in drunk he might give ya more."

Racetrack felt his breath hitch. Jack really thought... He had to know that... "Come on Jack, you know I would neva do that. I di'n mean nothin' by it. Promise. It jus'... Slipped out."

The Manhattan leader nodded but didn't respond. Racer sat down opposite of him.

Jack laid his head down on his knees, eyes closed. After a moment, Race reached out for the bottle in his friend's hand. Jack jerked his hand back, looking up.

"Get ya own." He snapped, taking a drink of the beer.

Racer watched him a moment, "Ya know you really shouldn' be drinkin' that."

Jack let out a short laugh. "Racetrack Higgons lecturin' me on alcohol? Really?"

"You know I haven't had any in months!" He couldn't help but feel a little hurt at that. He'd been trying. Jack knew he was trying.

"Whateva'," Jack sighed, closing his eyes.

There was a long moment of silence. Surprisingly, it was Jack who spoke first.

"Do you know why I was sent to the Refuge? The first time?" The statement was followed by another long drink.

"Loitering or somethin' stupid, right?" Race wasn't exactly sure where this was going, but he knew better than to stop him. Getting Jack to talk about the Refuge was rare. He wasn't going to waste the opportunity, even if it was only because of the alcohol.

Jack gave a single huff that could almost be called a laugh. "Yeah, that's what's on the record. Ain't the real reason."

More silence, but Race didn't push it.

"It was my brother. Griff. Two years older than me."

That was news to Race. As far as anyone knew, Jack was an only child.

"We was probably on the streets fir close ta a year. Prob'ly less. He di'n like it. Can't much blame 'im. Ain't no fun. He was 'round eight. Don't quite remember no more. I was six. So's he was eight o' nine. We was real close. Fir a while least."

In one swig he drank at least a quarter of the bottle.

"Then we's found out 'bout the Refuge. Was real scared o' gettin' caught. Then Griff got this idea. See, he had a kid brotha'. One that could get 'im some money. So 'e made a deal with Snyda'. He'd take me to the Refuge and Griff would get 'alf the money I brought in from the state. Was there six months 'for the Spida' let me go. 'Sume my brotha' died. Guess I'll neva' know. Don' know why 'e let me out eitha'. Found the Newsies not long afta'."

He finished the bottle, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes.

Race sat in shock. "J-Jack, I had no idea, I didn't-"

"No one does. If'n I wanted ya to know, ya would've." He didn't even look up.

Then Racer realized what exactly he had said. He had, he had threatened- "I ain't like him, Jack. I would neva' do that. Neva'. I di'n mean it. I was mad. Was'n thinkin' straight."

"Mhm," he hummed, "I know. Jus'... Brought back some mem'ries is all." He went to take a drink before realizing it was empty. He sighed, letting his hand fall back down. "I di'n mean ta yell at ya. I just get scared, ya know? Ya don' know what it's like there. Some of the littles... They wouldn't survive. A lot don't."

Race didn't like Jack like this. So... Vulnerable. Jack wasn't supposed to be scared. He was the leader. The one who wasn't broken, the one that couldn't be. The one that woke everyone up from their nightmares but never had any of his own. They all knew it wasn't true, but they could pretend as long as Jack kept up his act. But right now, the facade was falling and their fearless leader with it.

"Jackie?"

"Mhm?"

"You know that us, ya real brothas, we ain't like 'im, right? We would neva' 'urt ya."

Jack opened his eyes, sitting up a little, "Yeah, I know. I ain't mad at ya, not really. I jus', jus' needed ta get away."

"Ya ain't like me, right?"

The older boy laughed tiredly, "That could mean a lot of things Racer."

"I mean, with the, ya know." He motioned towards the bottle. "When I start drinkin', I have trouble stopin'..."

Jack's eyes flickered to the bottle in his hand. "Shouldn' have drunk it. Worked hard gettin' you ta stop and here I am doin' it myself." He sighed. "I won't do it no more, so long as you don't. Deal?'

Racetrack nodded, " And... I really am sorry Jack."

"Oh, stop apologising. Jus'... Help me get back home." He mumbled, reaching out his hand.

Race couldn't help a small smile as he took the hand.

~N~

"Where's Jack?" Despite the hour, every boy in the room sat up as soon as Racetrack walked into the room.

He made his way to his bunk, "In his penthouse. Crutchie's up there with 'im."

"Is he okay?" A small voice asked.

Racer leaned down and ruffled the boys hair. "Yeah, he's gonna be fine. We's good now. He's awful tired though, so if 'e isn't up early tomorrow, 'ow bout we jus' let 'im sleep, 'kay?"

The boy nodded. Racetrack made eye contact with one of the older boys. The understanding was clear. It wasn't too often one of the boys got drunk, Jack made sure of it, but when it did happen, everyone knew to be careful. Both in words and actions.

Race slipped into his bed. It was getting cold out and he felt bad leaving Crutch and Jack outside, but he knew their leader and Jack would never want the other boys to see him like that.

Racetrack had learned something new about his friend. Another piece that went along with the complex puzzle that was Jack Kelly. But he was his brother now. And Racer was determined to never let anyone hurt Jack like that again. Not even himself.

**~TH~**

**Well, there's that! If I write another one (which I most certainly plan on), it will be between this one and the one before. Probably about how Jack ended up in the Penthouse or how Crutchie ended up with him in the Penthouse. I also have one post-strike story planned.**

**Anyway... what'd you think? Did I do the characterization okay? What do you think of my idea of Jack having a brother? I know it's kind of far fetched, but I kind of like the idea...**

**And I had finished writing the story when I realized I didn't include Racer's cigar, but I wasn't going to go back and fix it. Sorry.**

**One last thing, I got an Instagram specifically for my writing/acting side, so come follow me! I'm Trekkiehood3000. Just let me know who you are and I will follow you back :)**

**Until next time!**

**God bless,**  
**Jamie**


End file.
